Sorry for the quietude here - I was AWAY on a BIG trip with my family . . .

When I was sixteen years old, my parents took my younger sister and I on a BIG trip, a cross-country trip to visit family on the west coast and to see the landscape in between. It left a deep impression upon me, about the vastness and beauty of the land, about the wonder of the plants and animals who reside in even the most improbable habitats, and about the people whose stories are so clearly wed to the landscape.  It further fueled the naturalist in me and created in me a lust for the land.

My oldest son is sixteen this summer so this seemed like the right time to head west on an adventure before he might possibly be disinterested in doing anything with his parents. My hopes are that this trip might permanently lodge in some way, shape or form in my children’s hearts and souls. After some discussion, we planned a trip to the southwest, a place that has stolen my heart repeatedly.  Our goal was to cover new territory for all of us, visit Ed Abbey’s land of Arches (long a personal desire of mine) and explore southwest Native culture (long a personal desire of Michelle’s). We planned in the broad sense, knowing our options, and wanted as much as possible to BE OUTSIDE, embrace a mix of culture and nature, and stay in touch with the desires of all the children.

We are home now. We are all road weary and very glad to be here despite the transition from 10% humidity to 80%. Yuck.  The kids are eagerly embracing friends and family, and Michelle too has started addressing the reality of the upcoming school year. I, on the other hand, am reluctant to let go. I am having reentry issues. I am thumbing through the postcards and brochures that we collected and I am scrolling through the hundreds of pictures I have taken, like this one - the entire family underground in a lava tube in El Malpais National Monument. I do not want to let this trip go - in fact, I want to further burn it into every cell of my being, the same way the stunning view of Delicate Arch did in Arches National Park, or the challenging scramble up Aztec Mesa did in Canyonlands National Park, or the 140 foot climb up ladders to the ceremonial kiva did in Bandelier National Monument. For this reason, I will be sharing some of our journey here, as recounted by my children. Needless to say, the trip was amazing, awesome, and unforgettable.